Putin Arrives in Kazan for Russia-ASEAN Summit

KAZAN, June 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Kazan, where a two-day anniversary Russia-ASEAN Summit kicks off on Wednesday, the Kremlin’s press office reported.

Representatives of all 11 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are participating in the event -- Brunei, East Timor, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines.

A ceremonial reception on behalf of the President of the Russian Federation in honor of the arriving heads of delegations is scheduled for today. It will be held at the Galiaskar Kamal Tatar State Academic Theatre. The event is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. GMT).

Besides multilateral discussions, Putin is scheduled to hold a number of bilateral meetings. Some of them will take place today, including meetings with Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim and Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah. In addition, the Russian president will meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan later in the evening.

The Kremlin press service earlier reported that on June 17-18, the Russia-ASEAN summit will be held in Kazan, marking the 35th anniversary of relations between Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Several documents are expected to be signed at the event, including the Kazan Declaration and the Russia-ASEAN Comprehensive Plan of Action.

This is not the first time Russia has hosted such a summit, as in 2016 the country’s Black Sea resort city of Sochi hosted a similar event marking the 25th anniversary of Russia-ASEAN relations.

The Philippines currently chairs ASEAN, and the previous Russia-ASEAN summit was held in 2021 via videoconference.